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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: wind · root · wax · spring · tube · date · kick · track

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. date — the fruit
  2. root — the cause
  3. kick — in football
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — a container
  6. root — of a word
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — a coil
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. track — a song
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. track — a path
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spring — the season
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — of water
  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