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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. band — a ring
  3. march — the month
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bulb — for light
  9. club — a group
  10. root — of a word
  11. club — for golf
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — music
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. band — a music group
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — the cause
  21. club — for dancing
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — 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