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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fine — high quality
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. press — a publisher
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fine — all right
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — of a word
  20. press — newspapers
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — to grow
  24. root — the cause

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