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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. object — an aim
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hand — help
  16. row — a line
  17. object — a thing
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. object — to protest
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stem — of a plant

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