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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.

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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's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fine — high quality
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — wild animals
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. root — the cause
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — a match
  24. fine — a penalty

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