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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. row — a line
  7. lean — thin
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. root — of a word
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. root — the cause
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — to paddle
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — a match
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — employees

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