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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — a contest
  18. tube — a container
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. race — humankind
  24. mine — an explosive

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