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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — to rip
  10. root — of a word
  11. wax — to grow
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wax — for sculpting

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