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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. board — to get on
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mate — a friend
  9. chest — of your body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — of a word
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — a box
  21. board — a committee
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mate — to breed

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