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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. root — the cause
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a music group
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a ring
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. band — a rubber band

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