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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. root — the cause
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a word
  8. kick — in football
  9. club — for golf
  10. root — of a plant
  11. club — a group
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. can — to be able to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — a gift
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wake — a trail
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. present — the time now
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. present — there

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