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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. roll — a list
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. root — of a plant
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. dip — to sink
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — the cause
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. root — of a word

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