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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. content — the amount
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — to be able to
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — for catching
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. tear — to rip
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — the cause
  23. net — after costs
  24. content — videos and posts

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