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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. root — the cause
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lean — thin
  12. shower — rain
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. root — of a word
  21. lean — to bend
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — the animal
  24. root — of a plant

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