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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. lean — to bend
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. root — of a word
  7. land — a country
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mug — a face
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. present — the time now
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lean — thin
  14. wax — to grow
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bat — for baseball

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