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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stock — goods
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. root — the cause
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bore — to tire
  24. nail — for a hammer

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