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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spell — magic
  5. root — the cause
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. root — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. net — for catching
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spell — a short time
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a word
  20. lean — to bend
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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