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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. root — of a word
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — thin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — the season
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. root — the cause
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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