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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 124 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. root — of a word
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. land — a country
  11. shower — rain
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tear — from crying
  16. land — ground
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — to come down
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. tear — to rip

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