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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — a line
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — thin
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stock — shares
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com