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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. root — of a word
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — the cause
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. race — humankind
  11. pop — soda
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pop — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. root — of a plant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. drill — army training
  23. club — a group
  24. wax — for sculpting

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