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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — the cause
  4. content — the amount
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. file — a document
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — happy
  13. plane — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. root — of a word
  24. arm — part of the body

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