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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. present — a gift
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. capital — a city
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. present — the time now
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — there
  17. capital — money
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. deal — to handle
  23. staff — employees
  24. capital — a big letter

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