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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. date — the fruit
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. key — for a lock
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of law
  12. wax — to grow
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. court — of a king
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. root — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. roll — a cake
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. key — the most important part
  22. row — a line
  23. court — for sport
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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