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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · root · swing · bay · tear · present

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. swing — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. present — there
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. swing — to play on
  10. present — the time now
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. swing — in golf
  15. present — a gift
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant

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