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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wax — to grow
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — rain
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wax — for sculpting

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