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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. root — the cause
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — of a word
  8. season — of the year
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kick — in football
  18. press — to push
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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