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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 116 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. race — humankind
  7. rash — a series
  8. pound — a weight
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. degree — an amount
  12. race — a contest
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wax — to grow
  15. degree — temperature
  16. land — a country
  17. root — of a word
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lean — thin
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. root — the cause

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