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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — a tin
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — music
  6. last — finally
  7. can — to be able to
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. root — of a word
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. swing — in golf
  15. root — the cause
  16. last — final
  17. spell — a short time
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — magic
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. swing — to play on
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — a sick person

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