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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. root — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. root — of a word
  10. degree — from a university
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. can — to be able to
  14. root — the cause
  15. mug — a face
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  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