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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. prune — to trim
  17. swing — to play on
  18. root — the cause
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — of a word
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. swing — music

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