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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rest — a break
  3. shower — to wash
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rest — what's left
  7. staff — employees
  8. root — of a word
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stock — shares
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. staff — a stick
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stock — goods
  19. root — the cause
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. shower — rain
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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