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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spell — magic
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mug — to rob
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. mug — a face
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — to bear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. roll — a list
  18. root — the cause
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. root — of a plant
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — part of the head
  24. roll — a cake

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