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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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. cue — a hint
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. field — for sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lean — thin
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — a subject
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. field — farmland
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wave — with your hand
  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