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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pop — soda
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — after costs
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. root — of a word
  23. band — a ring
  24. root — the cause

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