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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cap — of ice
  9. last — final
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. last — finally
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rash — a series
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — a permit

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