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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — all right
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wax — to grow
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stock — shares
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. net — in sport
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — after costs
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — for catching

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