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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. root — the cause
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. last — finally
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. last — final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. key — in music
  17. rock — music
  18. root — of a plant
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. root — of a word
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — to go on
  24. key — the most important part

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