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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. root — of a word
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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