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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cap — of ice
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. root — the cause
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. dip — to sink
  15. root — of a word
  16. bass — low music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. prune — the fruit

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