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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. file — a tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. firm — steady
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. root — the cause
  17. file — a document
  18. firm — a company
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. file — a line of people
  21. scale — in music
  22. present — the time now
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — to turn a key

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