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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — to cut
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. root — the cause
  13. clip — for paper
  14. season — in sport
  15. charge — a price
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. charge — in control
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. nail — on a finger

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