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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — electric
  6. root — of a word
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — in sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — the cause
  13. net — for catching
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — from a university
  16. current — of water
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bank — for money
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — happening now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — in the ear

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