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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. date — the fruit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — help
  16. root — of a word
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — the cause
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — a trail

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