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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. can — to be able to
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fine — all right
  6. can — a tin
  7. fine — high quality
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. row — a line
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wax — to grow
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. bear — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — to come down
  23. root — of a word
  24. row — a quarrel

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