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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — of a word
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bulb — for light
  7. root — of a plant
  8. club — for dancing
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. degree — an amount
  11. content — happy
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. content — the amount
  21. bore — to tire
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. bore — gave birth

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