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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — child
  6. root — the cause
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. root — of a plant
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. track — a song
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. club — for golf
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. club — a group
  22. kid — to tease
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — a break

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