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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — to come down
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. root — the cause
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. race — humankind
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bank — of a river

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