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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. 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. bear — to put up with
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. root — the cause
  6. field — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bear — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. march — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — of a plant
  18. 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