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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 116 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. snap — to click
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ball — a great time

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