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

Word bank: field · ruler · wax · court · cell · stem · cabinet · bear

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of law
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. cell — in biology
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. court — for sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — a subject
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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