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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. chest — a box
  2. file — a line of people
  3. root — of a word
  4. lean — to bend
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — the cause
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chest — of your body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a document
  17. root — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lean — thin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fork — in a road
  23. file — a tool
  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