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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. branch — a division
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kid — child
  9. root — the cause
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. face — to confront
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — a face
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wax — to grow
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. root — of a plant

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