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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: leaves · court · ground · bat · root · spell · roll · wax

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — a position
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. root — the cause
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. roll — a list
  15. root — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spell — letters
  24. wax — in the ear

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