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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — to be able to
  5. root — of a word
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rest — a break
  22. can — a tin
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. capital — money

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