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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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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: lean · wax · band · bark · dip · chair · root · cell

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lean — thin
  5. root — the cause
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a music group
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lean — to bend
  23. root — of a word
  24. bark — 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