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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. club — a group
  4. root — the cause
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. root — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pass — a permit
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — the animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. root — of a word
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. content — happy
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — child
  24. club — for golf

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