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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — a video
  5. wax — to grow
  6. clip — to cut
  7. drill — army training
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a face
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — help
  23. root — of a word
  24. face — to point toward

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