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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. root — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. root — the cause
  6. ground — the earth
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — a group
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — for betting
  13. clip — a video
  14. club — for golf
  15. chip — to eat
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — for paper
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ground — crushed
  22. club — for dancing
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — to cut

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