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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 116 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: root · saw · rule · press · rash · fall · cold · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — not warm
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rule — government
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rule — a law
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. press — to push
  19. root — the cause
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — to drop

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