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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. root — of a word
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wax — to grow
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. press — to push
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. root — the cause
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wax — for sculpting

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