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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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. charge — a price
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ground — crushed
  7. staff — a stick
  8. kick — in football
  9. root — of a word
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. root — the cause
  14. charge — in control
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — a position
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ground — the earth

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