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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. dip — to sink
  5. root — of a word
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bass — the fish
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. root — of a plant
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. hand — in cards
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rush — hurry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bore — to tire
  20. shower — rain
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — low music
  24. root — the cause

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