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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. current — electric
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. current — of water
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. current — happening now
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — in sport
  24. tube — a container

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