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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 124 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. root — of a word
  3. track — a path
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. capital — a city
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. firm — decided
  15. track — a song
  16. root — the cause
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. capital — money
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. root — of a plant
  22. firm — a company
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. firm — steady

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