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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wax — to grow
  6. root — of a word
  7. snap — to click
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. staff — a stick
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. net — for catching
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. capital — money
  15. root — the cause
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — a permit
  20. face — to confront
  21. net — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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