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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. row — a line
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rule — government
  5. rest — a break
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rule — a law
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rest — what's left

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