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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. craft — boats
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wax — to grow
  18. root — the cause
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fan — a supporter

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