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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — obliged
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fall — the season
  7. root — the cause
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a plant
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. row — to paddle
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bound — tied together
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — child

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