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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · root · wax · tear · wound · spring · key · bat

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. root — of a word
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bass — low music
  19. spring — of water
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. key — in music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. spring — 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