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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: mate · root · wax · racket · kid · sharp · field · bound

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. field — farmland
  4. root — the cause
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — of a word
  11. field — for sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — to breed
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kid — child
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wax — to grow
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  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