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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. root — of a plant
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tube — a container
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. root — of a word
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — happy
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — the underground
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — the amount

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