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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. swing — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bear — the animal
  17. root — the cause
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — to paddle
  20. root — of a word
  21. row — a line
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mate — to breed

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