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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — government
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rule — a law
  9. root — of a word
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. root — the cause

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