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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a plant
  3. land — a country
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — a container
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fall — the season
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bark — 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