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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. content — happy
  6. root — of a plant
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. root — the cause
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — letters
  17. race — a contest
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. drill — the tool

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