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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — to wash
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — the underground
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. track — a song

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