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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chair — a leader
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — a trace
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — the cause

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