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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. hand — help
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rest — what's left
  10. roll — a cake
  11. root — the cause
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spring — the season
  17. fine — high quality
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. root — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. root — of a word

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