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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. root — of a plant
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spell — letters
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. root — of a word
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. face — to point toward
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. face — to confront
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tube — a container
  18. mate — a friend
  19. branch — a division
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tube — the underground

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