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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. root — of a word
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — the cause

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