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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. object — an aim
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. object — to protest
  12. swing — to play on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. snap — to click
  15. rock — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. object — a thing
  22. root — the cause
  23. rock — a stone
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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