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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spring — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. root — the cause
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — of a word
  11. mug — a cup
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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