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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. root — the cause
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. roll — a list
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. root — of a word
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bass — low music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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