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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. root — of a word
  3. ground — a position
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. sharp — clever
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ground — the earth
  15. root — the cause
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mark — to pay attention

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