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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. net — after costs
  3. track — a song
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a path
  11. root — the cause
  12. swing — music
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — in golf
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. swing — to play on
  24. track — to keep track

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