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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. root — of a plant
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. shower — rain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — to wash
  24. root — of a word

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