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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — to keep track
  5. root — the cause
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. root — of a word
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kid — to tease
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pit — a hole
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fork — in a road
  19. track — a song
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  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