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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. root — of a word
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — a weight
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — the cause
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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