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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.

Make a worksheet

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: root · ball · firm · wax · tear · season · land · perch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. root — of a word
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tear — from crying
  10. land — ground
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — the fish
  16. firm — decided
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. root — of a plant
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. firm — a company
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — steady

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