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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — bread
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. root — the cause
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. root — of a word
  17. wax — to grow
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. present — there
  20. spring — the season
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spring — of water
  24. present — a gift

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