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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — the amount
  3. root — of a plant
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. root — of a word
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ball — a dance
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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