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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spring — the season
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — all right
  9. root — the cause
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. net — after costs
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spring — of water
  22. net — in sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — a penalty

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