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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. toast — bread
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — the cause
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. land — ground
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — of a word
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a trace

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