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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — soda
  3. rule — a law
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. key — for a lock
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rule — government
  12. current — happening now
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. key — in music
  15. pop — music
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wax — to grow

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