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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mate — to breed
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — belonging to me

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