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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bear — the animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. foot — a measure
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. branch — of a tree

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