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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lean — thin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. root — of a plant
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ground — a position
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. capital — money
  24. wax — to grow

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