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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — the season
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. staff — a stick
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lean — thin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pit — a hole
  13. root — of a plant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cap — a lid
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fall — to drop
  24. root — of a word

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