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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. root — the cause
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — a coil
  21. plane — a tool
  22. root — of a word
  23. charge — a price
  24. wax — in the ear

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