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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. root — of a word
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. foot — a measure
  24. arm — part of the body

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