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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. squash — the sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. root — of a plant
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. root — of a word
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. roll — a list
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chair — a leader
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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