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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. root — the cause
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — of the year
  9. root — of a plant
  10. content — happy
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. root — of a word
  14. season — in sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. snap — to click
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — videos and posts

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