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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cell — a phone
  9. root — of a word
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. root — the cause
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — from a university
  20. root — of a plant
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  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