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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. march — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. root — the cause
  6. wake — a trail
  7. root — of a word
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — the month
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. band — a music group
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bank — for money
  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