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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. root — of a word
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — to trim
  6. root — the cause
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pop — music
  10. track — a song
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. charge — in control
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — from a university
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ball — a great time
  19. charge — electricity
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ball — a dance
  23. track — a path
  24. trunk — of a car

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