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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — for digging
  6. root — the cause
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mug — a cup
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to click
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cell — in biology
  24. root — of a word

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