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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. root — of a word
  6. kick — in football
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lean — thin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — completely
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a document
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wind — moving air

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