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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. content — the amount
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. root — the cause
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — hasty
  24. content — happy

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