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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. root — the cause
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bear — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kick — in football
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ground — a position
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — a video
  18. stock — goods
  19. ground — crushed
  20. squash — the sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wax — to grow

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