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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. root — of a word
  3. spell — magic
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. root — the cause
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spell — letters
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chair — a leader
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spell — a short time
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — a big deal

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