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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · root · field · suit · rush · chest · swing · wax

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. 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. suit — in cards
  2. tear — to rip
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. suit — to fit
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — for sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — the cause
  18. chest — a box
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — clothes
  21. swing — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. swing — to play on
  24. 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