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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — music
  5. root — the cause
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pop — soda
  12. game — a match
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — help
  17. root — of a word
  18. wax — to grow
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fine — a penalty

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