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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. kid — child
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mug — a face
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — a cup
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fork — a garden tool

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