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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 124 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — an illness
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. tube — the underground
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bound — certain
  11. pit — a hole
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tube — a container
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. root — of a word
  17. pit — in a race
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. march — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bound — obliged

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