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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. root — the cause
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. wax — to grow
  11. root — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. roll — a cake
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to click
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — a committee

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