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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 · wound · last · bulb · wax · stick · mark · kid

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. root — the cause
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — final
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — child
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — a trace
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — finally

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