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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — the cause
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rash — a series
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. root — of a word
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — a face
  16. pop — music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pop — soda
  24. mug — a cup

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