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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 124 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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — soda
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. root — the cause
  22. mark — a trace
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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