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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stem — to come from
  7. root — of a plant
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. root — the cause
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. root — of a word

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