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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. root — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pass — a permit
  15. root — of a word
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — the cause
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pass — to succeed

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