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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. press — to push
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fine — all right
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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