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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. root — the cause
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — a safe
  13. root — of a word
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. file — a line of people
  16. land — to come down
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — ground
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. file — a document
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. temple — a place of worship

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