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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. object — an aim
  3. cold — an illness
  4. root — the cause
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. object — a thing
  7. stand — to bear
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. net — for catching
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — a practice
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. cold — not warm
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. root — of a word

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