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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — the tool
  7. present — there
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. present — the time now
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — army training
  17. hand — help
  18. present — a gift
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tear — to rip

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