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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — to visit
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rush — hurry
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. root — the cause
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pit — in a race
  24. ball — a dance

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