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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tube — the underground
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rash — a series
  6. root — the cause
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — to grow
  16. dip — to sink
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. dip — a sauce

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