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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. club — a group
  7. pound — a weight
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — a line
  22. root — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. row — a quarrel

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