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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rule — government
  6. lean — thin
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. net — after costs
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — in sport
  14. rule — a law
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. net — for catching
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

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