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

Word bank: root · ruler · fan · mark · wax · craft · tear · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — boats
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — of a word
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — the cause

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