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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. can — a tin
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — help
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. spring — of water
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the animal

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