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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. root — the cause
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fall — to drop
  9. last — finally
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — final
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. last — to go on
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. degree — from a university
  22. drill — army training
  23. root — of a word
  24. fall — the season

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