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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ground — crushed
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. vault — a safe
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cell — in biology
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — a position
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. plane — a tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. staff — a stick
  21. root — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. root — the cause
  24. plane — in geometry

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