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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rest — a break
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. root — of a word
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — in music
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — letters
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ruler — a monarch

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