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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. object — an aim
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — in sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. last — final
  8. club — a group
  9. net — after costs
  10. current — electric
  11. club — for dancing
  12. root — the cause
  13. club — for golf
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — for catching
  16. rest — a break
  17. object — a thing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. last — to go on
  20. current — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — finally
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. object — to protest

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