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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. suit — clothes
  3. root — the cause
  4. cold — not warm
  5. suit — to fit
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cold — an illness
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. suit — in cards
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — of a word
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ground — a position
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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