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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 120 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. root — the cause
  7. chest — a box
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rock — a stone
  24. drill — army training

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