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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 124 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. sharp — clever
  5. root — of a word
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cell — a phone
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. court — of law
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. court — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — of a king

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