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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. land — ground
  8. root — of a word
  9. kid — to tease
  10. land — a country
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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