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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.

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: root · land · scale · race · staff · trunk · mark · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. race — a contest
  4. scale — in music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. root — of a word
  10. land — to come down
  11. mark — a grade
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — a stick
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. staff — employees
  19. race — the arms race
  20. root — the cause
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mark — a trace

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