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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. root — of a word
  3. rule — government
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — music
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — a law
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — the cause
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — of water
  24. rule — to rule out

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