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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · mark · mate · pitch · root · fall · mine · net

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. net — after costs
  10. mark — a grade
  11. root — the cause
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — completely
  14. net — for catching
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. root — of a word
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — a trace

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