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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — government
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cold — not warm
  11. root — of a plant
  12. charge — in control
  13. root — of a word
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rule — a law
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tube — the underground
  18. root — the cause
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — an illness
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. charge — a price

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