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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. root — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — a tin

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