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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. tube — a container
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bat — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. rest — a break
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — to wash
  20. root — of a word
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. root — of a plant

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