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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. suit — clothes
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. root — the cause
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. march — music
  22. spring — of water
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. suit — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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