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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: root · ball · nail · leaves · bound · trunk · clip · rash

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. root — the cause
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ball — a great time
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rash — a series
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. root — of a word
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. clip — a video

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