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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. deal — to handle
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. drill — army training
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — the cause
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to click
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. perch — for a bird

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