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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. root — of a word
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chest — a box
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — the cause
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stem — to come from
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — a publisher
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — of a plant
  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