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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tube — a container
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pop — soda
  8. root — of a word
  9. kick — in football
  10. can — to be able to
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lean — thin
  22. pop — music
  23. can — a tin
  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