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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. root — of a word
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — music
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chest — a box
  16. file — a tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — of a plant
  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