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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ball — a great time
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. row — to paddle
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — to grow
  15. root — the cause
  16. ball — a dance
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. kid — child
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — of a word
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. row — a line

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