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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wax — to grow
  5. net — in sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. root — of a plant
  11. face — to confront
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bass — low music
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — help
  24. root — the cause

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