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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — to sink
  3. root — of a word
  4. object — an aim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fine — all right
  7. root — of a plant
  8. object — a thing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — high quality
  12. object — to protest
  13. root — the cause
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. roll — a list
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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