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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 · roll · pop · mine · bay · fine · present · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. roll — a list
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pop — soda
  13. root — of a plant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. root — of a word
  21. pop — to visit
  22. present — the time now
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pop — music

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