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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: bear · spring · season · wax · lean · fan · pitcher · root

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — of a word
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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