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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. root — of a word
  6. chest — a box
  7. land — to come down
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. root — the cause
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. land — a country
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kick — in football
  24. jam — a tight spot

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