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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. capital — a city
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pit — a hole
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. land — a country
  22. capital — money
  23. cue — a signal
  24. stem — of a plant

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