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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: foot · fan · fine · last · bay · land · wax · root

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — a country
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — high quality
  12. root — of a word
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — ground
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. root — the cause
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. last — finally
  24. fan — to cool the air

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