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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: dip · root · land · mug · bay · wax · temple · foot

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. root — of a plant
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. land — a country
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. root — of a word
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. land — ground
  15. root — the cause
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mug — a cup
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — to come down
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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