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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — the cause
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — a tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. deal — to handle
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. deal — an agreement

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