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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 116 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — hasty
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rush — hurry
  16. track — a path
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. root — the cause
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a song
  23. root — of a word
  24. wax — to grow

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