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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. root — of a plant
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cap — a hat
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rule — a law
  11. root — the cause
  12. degree — from a university
  13. root — of a word
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — goods
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rule — government

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