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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 water is too ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. root — the cause
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cold — an illness
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wax — to grow
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. craft — boats
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — of a word
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pit — a hole

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