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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · stem · file · present · wax · object · cap · mine

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. object — a thing
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. object — an aim
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. object — to protest
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cap — of ice
  21. file — a tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. present — a gift

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