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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rest — a break
  4. root — the cause
  5. rest — what's left
  6. game — wild animals
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — to bear
  23. root — of a word
  24. plane — a tool

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