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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. march — the month
  6. root — the cause
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. root — of a plant
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — a signal
  13. root — of a word
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. march — music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. safe — out of danger

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