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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. root — the cause
  14. shower — to wash
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a great time
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. vault — a safe

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