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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · stand · tear · wind · chest · trunk

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. root — of a word
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a plant
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. chest — of your body

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