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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. root — the cause
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. band — a ring
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — to come down
  15. spell — magic
  16. chest — a box
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — letters
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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