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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.

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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: bat · club · wax · pound · rule · rash · root · mouse

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rule — a law
  3. club — a group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rule — government
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. club — for golf
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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