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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bear — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. hand — help
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. root — the cause
  21. dip — to sink
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. tube — the underground

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