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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. root — the cause
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — the season
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. root — of a word

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