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

Word bank: stick · patient · pitcher · straw · trunk · jam · root · club

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. club — for golf
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — of a word
  22. club — a group
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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