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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. content — the amount
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. root — of a plant
  12. tube — a container
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bat — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. perch — the fish

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