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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — a box
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. prune — to trim
  10. shower — to wash
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — boats
  18. last — final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. shower — rain
  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