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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a word
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. bear — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. root — the cause

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