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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wax — to grow
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spring — the season
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — of water
  23. net — for catching
  24. cabinet — ministers

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