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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 120 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: deal · wax · rule · fan · root · march · spring · object

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. root — of a word
  6. object — an aim
  7. root — the cause
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. object — to protest
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. march — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rule — government
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. object — a thing

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