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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pop — soda
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — letters
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mug — a face
  22. root — the cause
  23. scale — in music
  24. pop — music

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