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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — of a word
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ground — a position
  12. field — farmland
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. root — the cause
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to click
  18. tube — the underground
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. field — for sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bat — the animal

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