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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — to handle
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — in biology
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cell — a phone
  22. root — of a word
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. deal — a big deal

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