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

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fine — all right
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — a match
  16. fine — high quality
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. root — the cause
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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