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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — army training
  12. band — a ring
  13. root — of a word
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — to bend
  19. staff — employees
  20. root — the cause
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — thin
  24. bowl — a dish

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