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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a dance
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — to paddle
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. capital — a city
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a great time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a line
  23. capital — money
  24. kid — to tease

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