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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. staff — a stick
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the fish
  6. root — of a word
  7. staff — employees
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rest — a break
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. root — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bass — low music
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. root — the cause
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. march — music

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