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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. root — of a word
  3. chip — for betting
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chip — to eat
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hand — help
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cold — an illness

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