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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — for money
  4. toast — bread
  5. wax — to grow
  6. root — of a plant
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — in sport
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bank — of a river
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. root — of a word
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. wake — a trail

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