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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. scale — size or range
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hand — help
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. root — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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