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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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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: trunk · tube · track · shower · court · root · bat · stock

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — of law
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. track — a song
  8. court — for sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — shares
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. trunk — of a car

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