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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lean — to bend
  4. root — of a word
  5. drill — army training
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cap — of ice
  11. drill — a practice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rule — a law
  15. cap — a hat
  16. drill — the tool
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cap — a lid
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — government
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mark — a trace

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