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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · root · lash · trunk · capital · leaves · toast · wake

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — in cards
  5. capital — money
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. root — the cause
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. capital — a city
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. root — of a plant
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. root — of a word
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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