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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chair — a leader
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — rain
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rule — a law
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rule — government
  17. root — of a word
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. shower — to wash

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