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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. stock — goods
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — army training
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — a stick
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — of a word
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — to turn a key

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