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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. root — of a word
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. root — the cause
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ruler — for measuring

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