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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. root — of a word
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — soda
  13. root — the cause
  14. fork — in a road
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pop — music
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. face — to confront
  23. pop — to visit
  24. deal — a big deal

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