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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. root — the cause
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — in music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. root — of a word
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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