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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. present — the time now
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. march — the month
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — the month
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. present — a gift
  21. root — the cause
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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