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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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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: last · root · pop · hide · straw · pit · wax · toast

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — to grow
  7. last — final
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pit — a hole
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. toast — bread
  17. pop — to visit
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. last — finally
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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