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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 120 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: current · vault · ground · arm · wind · root · trunk · band

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. root — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. current — of water
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — a position
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. current — electric
  19. vault — a safe
  20. band — a ring
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. band — a rubber band

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