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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: kick · trunk · pitch · rest · band · wax · root · land

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. kick — in football
  16. land — ground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — a country
  19. root — of a word
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. band — a ring

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