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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wake — a trail
  13. root — of a word
  14. swing — in golf
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. stock — shares
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — in football
  22. swing — to play on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stock — goods

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