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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 116 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: lean · key · file · wax · pop · racket · clip · root

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a line of people
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. file — a document
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lean — thin
  22. key — in music
  23. root — the cause
  24. wax — for sculpting

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