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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. season — in sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — money
  8. tube — the underground
  9. root — the cause
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. root — of a word
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — a container
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. capital — a city
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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