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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · march · rush · trunk · leaves · track · fall · root

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. track — a path
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. root — of a plant
  20. track — a song
  21. fall — the season
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cell — in a prison

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