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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. root — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — the cause
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cue — for pool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — a signal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. date — the fruit
  15. last — final
  16. root — of a word
  17. last — to go on
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — finally
  20. row — a line
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — to lash out

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