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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. capital — money
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — ground
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — to grow
  14. root — of a word
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — a country
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. capital — a city
  22. firm — decided
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. firm — steady

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