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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — to breed
  5. net — in sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mate — a partner
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wax — to grow
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. net — for catching
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. drill — army training
  20. mate — a friend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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