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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. pit — a hole
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — thin
  24. root — the cause

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