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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. root — the cause
  6. fall — the season
  7. dip — to sink
  8. tear — to rip
  9. root — of a word
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tear — from crying
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. perch — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ball — a dance
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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