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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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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: ball · kid · bowl · firm · root · lean · club · trunk

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lean — thin
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. firm — a company
  10. club — for golf
  11. root — of a plant
  12. firm — decided
  13. ball — a great time
  14. firm — steady
  15. club — a group
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — the cause
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kid — child
  23. club — for dancing
  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