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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fine — all right
  6. root — of a plant
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. root — the cause
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bore — to drill
  15. scale — in music
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wax — to grow
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  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