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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.

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: rash · wax · dip · drill · march · court · cell · root

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rash — a series
  4. court — of a king
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. drill — a practice
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. drill — army training
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. court — of law

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