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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 124 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. root — the cause
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. root — of a plant
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fine — high quality
  11. root — of a word
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — to grow
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fine — all right
  21. branch — a division
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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