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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — of a plant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — to grow
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. root — the cause
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a word
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. trunk — of a car

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