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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — clever
  9. root — the cause
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — of water
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pit — a hole
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. root — of a word
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — the season
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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