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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — to point toward
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — a safe
  16. tube — the underground
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. clip — to cut
  20. tube — a container
  21. clip — a video
  22. rule — government
  23. clip — for paper
  24. tube — in a tire

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