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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cap · root · ground · file · trunk · mouse · stand · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. root — the cause
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. root — of a word
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — a position
  23. game — wild animals
  24. file — a tool

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