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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — to go on
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. root — the cause
  10. band — a music group
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a ring
  13. date — the fruit
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mug — a face
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — a lid
  24. trunk — of a tree

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