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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. spell — letters
  4. club — a group
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. spell — magic
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bank — of a river
  17. club — for golf
  18. bank — for money
  19. chest — a box
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bank — for money

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