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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kid — child
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — of a word
  7. kid — to tease
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — to visit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. pop — music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pop — soda
  21. key — in music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. wax — to grow

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