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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. root — the cause
  6. field — for sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. root — of a plant
  11. perch — the fish
  12. firm — decided
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. firm — a company
  16. root — of a word
  17. firm — steady
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — of water
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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