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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitch — completely
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rash — a series
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — help
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — a lid

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