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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hand — in cards
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mug — a face
  10. root — of a word
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. club — for golf
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rush — hurry
  19. present — a gift
  20. root — the cause
  21. hand — help
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — to rob

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