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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. club — a group
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stem — to come from
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. last — final
  15. club — for golf
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lean — thin
  24. last — finally

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