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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 116 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. root — of a word
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. root — of a plant
  8. present — a gift
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — to come from
  13. present — there
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — happy
  24. field — for sport

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