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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a cup
  3. root — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. root — of a word
  11. court — of law
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. root — the cause
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — of a king
  18. mug — a face
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mug — to rob
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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