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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fine — all right
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. craft — boats
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wax — to grow
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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