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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: foot · capital · ground · branch · wax · ball · wake · root

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — the earth
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — a position
  8. root — of a word
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. branch — a division
  13. wake — a trail
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. root — the cause
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. foot — a measure
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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