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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. present — there
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. degree — temperature
  6. root — of a plant
  7. degree — from a university
  8. last — to go on
  9. root — of a word
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — a gift
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. band — a ring
  14. degree — an amount
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. craft — a skill
  18. root — the cause
  19. present — the time now
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wax — to grow
  23. craft — boats
  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