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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: root · cold · stem · tear · pop · pit · ruler · wax

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pop — soda
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — a hole
  9. root — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pop — to visit
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. root — of a word
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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