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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fall — the season
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pit — a hole
  6. root — of a word
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fall — to drop
  9. toast — bread
  10. bat — the animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pit — in a race
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. root — the cause

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