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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards 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 — to grow
  3. field — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. band — a music group
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — the tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. field — a subject
  11. band — a ring
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — army training
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. content — the amount
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. field — farmland
  23. content — happy
  24. lean — to bend

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