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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — the cause
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — a position
  19. root — of a word
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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