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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — for a lock
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kick — in football
  7. key — the most important part
  8. root — the cause
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. degree — temperature
  13. key — in music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. root — of a word
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stem — to come from
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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