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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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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: saw · hand · ground · rush · root · lie · game · trunk

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — help
  3. lie — to recline
  4. root — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. game — a match
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — hurry
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — the cause
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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