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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. firm — steady
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — a subject
  6. mug — a cup
  7. firm — a company
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. root — of a plant
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bark — to shout
  15. root — the cause
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mug — to rob
  20. craft — boats
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. firm — decided
  24. mine — for digging

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