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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. root — the cause
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bulb — for light
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. root — of a plant
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stem — to come from
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — of a word
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. plane — in geometry

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