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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · tear · jam · snap · root · march · bat · trunk

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. root — the cause
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. root — of a plant
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bat — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tear — to rip
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to click
  24. march — music

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