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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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 — of a plant
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tear — to rip
  4. firm — decided
  5. row — to paddle
  6. press — to push
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spring — the season
  11. press — a publisher
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stem — to come from
  14. row — a line
  15. press — newspapers
  16. firm — steady
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — a company
  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