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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. clip — a video
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. root — of a plant
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. root — of a word
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — for betting
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. root — the cause
  16. clip — to cut
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away

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