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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.

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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: racket · cap · wake · wax · root · jam · fall · bear

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. fall — the season
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cap — of ice
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bear — the animal
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fall — to drop
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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