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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. field — for sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fall — the season
  5. root — of a word
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — the cause
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — a contest
  19. shower — to wash
  20. race — humankind
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. suit — clothes
  24. race — the arms race

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