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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. root — the cause
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. root — of a plant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — part of the head
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pit — a hole
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pit — in a race
  24. foot — a measure

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