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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — a publisher
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — newspapers
  7. root — of a word
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. press — to push
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bound — tied together
  13. root — of a plant
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. squash — to crush
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. plane — a tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — obliged
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — the cause

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