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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
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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: mine · bay · net · spell · chair · wax · root · kick

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. net — after costs
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. spell — magic
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. net — in sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. root — the cause
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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