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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. rule — government
  3. tube — a container
  4. root — the cause
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. root — of a word
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. tube — the underground
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rule — a law
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — of a plant
  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