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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cell — in biology
  8. root — of a word
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — rain
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kick — in football
  15. chest — of your body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. roll — a list
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wake — before a funeral

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