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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. cap — of ice
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — all right
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. root — the cause
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to sink
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. dip — to dunk
  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