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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — final
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — to go on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pit — in a race
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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