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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — shares
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. march — the month
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. kick — in football
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. root — of a word
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. club — for dancing
  17. root — the cause
  18. march — the month
  19. lean — to bend
  20. club — a group
  21. march — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — goods

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