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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — a price
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. root — of a plant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — the cause
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. charge — in control
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spring — a coil

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