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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — soda
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pop — to visit
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. court — for sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — music
  21. scale — in music
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — the month

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