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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a word
  6. hand — help
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. can — a tin
  13. pop — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pop — to visit
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. lean — thin
  20. pop — soda
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rock — a stone

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