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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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mate — a partner
  6. root — of a plant
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. root — the cause
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. mate — a friend

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