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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.

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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — the cause
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — temperature
  12. staff — employees
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. root — of a plant
  16. degree — an amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — for catching
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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