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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fall — the season
  13. squash — the sport
  14. root — of a word
  15. band — a ring
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — to crush
  24. trunk — of a car

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