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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. root — of a word
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — to shout
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  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