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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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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: saw · chest · pop · bore · wax · root · pound · rule

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pound — a weight
  4. root — of a word
  5. pop — soda
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rule — government
  8. root — the cause
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pop — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pound — for dogs

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