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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 116 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. key — the most important part
  5. root — the cause
  6. spell — letters
  7. court — for sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. court — of law
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. court — of a king
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spell — magic
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — of a word
  23. last — finally
  24. wax — in the ear

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