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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — there
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to sink
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. root — the cause
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. present — the time now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mark — a grade
  22. root — of a word
  23. present — a gift
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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