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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bound — certain
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — for golf
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. root — of a word
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — a group
  24. root — the cause

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