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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.

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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: spring · pop · root · tube · wax · cap · leaves · face

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pop — soda
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pop — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spring — the season
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. root — of a word
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — to confront
  21. pop — to visit
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. root — the cause
  24. leaves — of a tree

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