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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. root — of a word
  11. prune — to trim
  12. field — a subject
  13. fine — all right
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. root — the cause
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fine — high quality
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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