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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. root — the cause
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. present — a gift
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. present — the time now
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a plant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. roll — a list
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. root — of a word
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. present — there

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