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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a music group
  13. root — the cause
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fine — all right
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a ring

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