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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: wax · face · wind · cabinet · cap · wound · ground · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — to grow
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — of a word
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cap — a hat
  23. face — to point toward
  24. root — the cause

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