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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — to come from
  4. content — the amount
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — for golf
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — happy
  19. club — a group
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wax — for sculpting

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