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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: ground · chest · wax · cue · root · tear · net · fine

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — the cause
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — all right
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cue — a hint
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — for catching
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. root — of a word

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