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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — a trace
  6. root — the cause
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — of a river
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — in sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — the amount
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bank — for money
  21. root — of a word
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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