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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — the cause
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bat — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. band — a music group
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. band — a ring
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. clip — for paper
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. root — of a plant

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