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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — for catching
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — in sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pop — soda
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — music
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lie — to recline
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lie — an untruth

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