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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.

Make a worksheet

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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. land — ground
  4. root — of a word
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. last — final
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — finally
  15. root — of a plant
  16. last — to go on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mug — to rob
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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