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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — hasty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. race — humankind
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — music
  9. race — a contest
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stock — shares
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. root — the cause
  17. march — the month
  18. root — of a word
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — goods
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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