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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: game · branch · fan · lie · root · pit · sharp · trunk

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. game — a match
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lie — to recline
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — a division
  12. root — of a plant
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. sharp — clever
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. root — the cause
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. root — of a word
  24. lie — an untruth

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