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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — a match
  3. rock — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rock — a stone
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. root — of a word

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