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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pop — soda
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pop — music
  5. swing — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cell — a phone
  9. current — happening now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — electric
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — of water
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — to grow

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