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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — the cause
  4. key — in music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mate — a partner
  8. file — a document
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mate — a friend
  11. root — of a word
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. file — a tool
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. file — a line of people
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mate — to breed

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