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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ball — a dance
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chair — a leader
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pitch — completely
  9. track — a song
  10. suit — to fit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. root — the cause
  13. lean — to bend
  14. suit — in cards
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wax — to grow
  20. track — a path
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. track — to keep track
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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