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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. drill — army training
  4. present — a gift
  5. drill — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pop — music
  11. present — there
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — help
  15. present — the time now
  16. spell — letters
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — to visit

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