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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. content — the amount
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. root — of a plant
  5. file — a line of people
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. content — happy
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. root — of a word
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. root — the cause
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. trunk — of a tree

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