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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. race — humankind
  3. dip — to sink
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — to confront
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — a position
  14. race — the arms race
  15. root — the cause
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. band — a music group
  18. race — a contest
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. root — of a word
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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