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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. root — of a word
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. object — to protest
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mark — a grade
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — to grow
  20. object — an aim
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chip — for betting

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