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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — a phone
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hand — help
  6. charge — in control
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. charge — a price
  21. root — of a word
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cell — in biology
  24. root — the cause

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