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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — a cup
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — to rob
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — high quality
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mug — a face
  20. fine — all right
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. root — of a word
  24. nail — for a hammer

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