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

Word bank: stick · race · trunk · ground · straw · foot · root · can

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — a contest
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. race — humankind
  5. foot — a measure
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — of a word
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. root — the cause
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. root — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. race — the arms race

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