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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fall — the season
  4. ground — a position
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fall — to drop
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rock — a stone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fall — to drop
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. root — the cause
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. root — of a word
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rock — music

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