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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — of a word
  5. board — to get on
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lean — to bend
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. land — to come down
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. root — the cause
  17. lean — thin
  18. kid — child
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. land — ground
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — a country

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