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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. key — in music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — in sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. root — the cause
  24. rush — to hurry

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