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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to click
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. kick — in football
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — the cause
  21. firm — steady
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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