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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — the season
  11. suit — to fit
  12. root — of a word
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bore — to tire
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bore — to drill
  22. field — a subject
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — to turn a key

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