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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rock — music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. staff — employees

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