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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mug — a cup
  3. swing — music
  4. root — the cause
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. swing — to play on
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — a match
  20. root — of a word
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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