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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wax — to grow
  7. present — there
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. present — the time now
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. degree — temperature
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — of the year
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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