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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cue — for pool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. root — the cause
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. shower — rain
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. root — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. root — of a word
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. branch — a division
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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