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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — clever
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. root — of a word
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — to come from
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. jam — in traffic

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