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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cell — in biology
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. wax — to grow
  13. race — the arms race
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cell — a phone
  16. race — a contest
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. race — humankind
  24. cell — in a prison

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