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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — to trim
  7. root — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. root — the cause
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. can — to be able to
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fine — all right
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. can — a tin
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. game — wild animals
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — of a word
  24. fine — a penalty

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