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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. game — a match
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. game — wild animals
  23. root — of a word
  24. bulb — for light

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