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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bound — certain
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. fall — the season
  10. swing — music
  11. last — final
  12. field — a subject
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — tied together
  15. root — of a word
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fine — all right
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — to go on
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — finally

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