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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. root — of a word
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — to grow
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — the cause

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