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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: perch · lie · stem · wax · game · cold · snap · pit

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to click
  9. pit — in a race
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stem — to come from
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — a match
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wax — in the ear

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