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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wax — to grow
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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