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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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468
Word bank
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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pit — in a race
  3. root — the cause
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mark — a trace
  19. root — of a word
  20. cell — in biology
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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