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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. swing — in golf
  5. march — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — a measure
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. root — of a plant
  23. foot — part of the body
  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