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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — a container
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. root — of a word
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — not warm
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. snap — to click
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. root — the cause

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