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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. root — of a plant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. root — of a word
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — in biology
  11. object — a thing
  12. clip — a video
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — an aim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. root — the cause
  22. object — to protest
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — in a prison

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