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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — a match
  8. court — of law
  9. club — a group
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — certain
  12. court — of a king
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. club — for dancing
  22. root — the cause
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — tied together

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