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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: land · wax · bark · foot · fine · root · deal · arm

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. foot — a measure
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. fine — high quality
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — ground
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. root — of a plant
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. deal — an agreement

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