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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: root · ruler · bass · stand · trunk · wind · cold · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. root — of a word
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bass — the fish
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cold — an illness
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bass — low music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stand — to bear
  24. trunk — of a tree

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