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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. swing — music
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mine — for digging
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. swing — to play on
  16. net — for catching
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. net — after costs
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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