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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. firm — a company
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — to tease
  6. file — a document
  7. root — of a plant
  8. firm — decided
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. root — the cause
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. firm — steady
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. scale — in music
  18. rash — a series
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — size or range
  23. file — a line of people
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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