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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — a subject
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. root — of a word
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. root — of a plant
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stem — to come from

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