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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. root — the cause
  9. ball — a great time
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spring — the season
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ball — a dance
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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