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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bound — obliged
  7. suit — clothes
  8. charge — in control
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — of a word
  14. charge — a price
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — tied together
  18. root — the cause
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — certain
  22. charge — electricity
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — a supporter

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