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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — to point toward
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. face — to confront
  19. root — the cause
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rash — a series

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