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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — wild animals
  3. root — the cause
  4. ground — the earth
  5. game — a match
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stock — goods
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. root — of a plant

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