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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 124 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — a country
  4. lean — thin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — hasty
  9. scale — size or range
  10. land — ground
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rash — a series
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — the cause
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. land — to come down
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — of a word
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — in a race

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