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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. field — a subject
  3. bank — of a river
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — farmland
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. row — a line
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. field — for sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — the cause
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. prune — to trim

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