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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 120 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rash — hasty
  9. root — the cause
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. swing — to play on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. present — the time now
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. present — there
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. root — of a word
  23. rash — a series
  24. present — a gift

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