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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — the month
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a ring
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — music
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. foot — a measure
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. band — a music group
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. root — of a word
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. march — the month

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