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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. rush — hurry
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. root — the cause
  7. spell — a short time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — of a plant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. race — humankind
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — letters
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spell — magic
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — soda
  19. branch — a division
  20. root — of a word
  21. pop — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pop — to visit
  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