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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chest — a box
  3. swing — to play on
  4. root — the cause
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. swing — in golf
  9. land — a country
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — to come down
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. root — of a word
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tube — a container
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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