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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. toast — bread
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. roll — a list
  24. temple — a place of worship

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