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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — a line
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. root — of a word
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. root — the cause
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. race — humankind
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — a contest
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fork — in a road

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