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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. land — to come down
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — ground
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mark — a trace
  9. craft — boats
  10. deal — to handle
  11. root — the cause
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pound — a weight
  17. root — of a word
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. land — a country
  20. root — of a plant
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mark — a grade

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