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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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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: kid · band · kick · cabinet · hide · stick · wax · root

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. root — the cause
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. root — of a word
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kick — in football
  24. root — of a plant

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