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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. root — of a plant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. file — a line of people
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — the cause
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kick — in football
  23. file — a document
  24. tube — in a tire

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