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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. key — the most important part
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. root — of a word
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — the cause
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. branch — a division
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ball — a great time
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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