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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. root — of a word
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. root — of a plant
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. content — the amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bulb — for light

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