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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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468
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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — what's left
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rest — a break
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. root — the cause
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rest — what's left
  17. scale — in music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. trunk — of a tree

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