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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
468
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: tube · rush · trunk · mate · root · march · stand · swing

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — to play on
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. root — of a plant
  14. march — music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. root — the cause

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