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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — a path
  6. wax — to grow
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. net — for catching
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. root — the cause
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. foot — a measure
  21. root — of a word
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — after costs

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