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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 116 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. key — the most important part
  3. root — of a word
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — in music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — the underground
  13. game — a match
  14. root — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — wild animals
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — the cause
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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