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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: field · trunk · root · rash · calf · straw · squash · pop

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. root — of a plant
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. root — of a word
  9. pop — music
  10. field — farmland
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. field — a subject
  13. pop — to visit
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — soda
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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