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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. charge — in control
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. shower — to wash
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rock — a stone
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — a jug

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