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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — to come down
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. dip — to sink
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wax — in the ear

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