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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: cold · wax · root · fine · roll · cue · key · leaves

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. cue — for pool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. roll — a list
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fine — high quality
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wax — to grow
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cold — not warm
  18. key — for a lock
  19. root — the cause
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — an illness
  22. root — of a plant
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cold — the Cold War

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