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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. band — a ring
  4. land — ground
  5. swing — to play on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. band — a music group
  8. board — a committee
  9. club — for dancing
  10. land — a country
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — the cause
  16. club — for golf
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — to get on
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. club — a group
  24. root — of a word

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