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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. root — the cause
  4. band — a music group
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. wax — to grow
  10. root — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. dip — to sink
  15. root — of a word
  16. ground — the earth
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. branch — a division

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