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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rock — music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rock — a stone
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. root — of a word
  13. spell — letters
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — the cause
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spell — a short time
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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