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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 120 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. firm — a company
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rest — a break
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stock — goods
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kid — child
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. shower — rain
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stock — shares
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — to wash

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