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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. swing — to play on
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — to grow
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. root — of a word
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — for digging
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spell — a short time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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