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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. root — of a word
  3. chest — of your body
  4. root — the cause
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. root — of a plant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to confront
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — a subject
  20. chest — a box
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — farmland
  23. face — to point toward
  24. trunk — of a car

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