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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. hand — in cards
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a friend
  15. track — to keep track
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — help
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. dip — to sink
  21. root — the cause
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. trunk — of a car

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