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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: nail · press · cue · root · bowl · roll · wax · sharp

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. root — of a word
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cue — a signal
  7. root — the cause
  8. press — a publisher
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cue — for pool
  11. press — to push
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cue — a hint
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — to roll

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