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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — the cause
  3. can — a tin
  4. root — of a plant
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — rain
  8. season — in sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — of a word
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. staff — employees
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wax — to grow

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