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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — crushed
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kick — in football
  5. row — a line
  6. ground — the earth
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. dip — to sink
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rock — music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ground — a position
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. craft — boats
  24. root — of a plant

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