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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — to tease
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — the cause
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — goods
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. deal — to handle
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stock — shares
  23. roll — a list
  24. root — of a word

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