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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a music group
  9. last — finally
  10. field — a subject
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — to go on
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. field — for sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fine — all right

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