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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — the cause
  4. wax — to grow
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — for catching
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fan — a supporter

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