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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. club — a group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to click
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. club — for golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. season — of the year
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — in sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stock — goods
  19. content — the amount
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. club — for dancing
  24. root — the cause

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