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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. craft — boats
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. root — of a word
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a music group
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pop — music
  17. band — a ring
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pop — soda
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wax — in the ear

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