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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 116 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. face — to confront
  5. wax — to grow
  6. root — of a plant
  7. press — to push
  8. stock — shares
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. face — to point toward
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. press — newspapers
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — the cause
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. face — part of the head
  24. racket — for tennis

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