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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: root · arm · bat · charge · degree · squash · pass · trunk

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — from a university
  7. charge — electricity
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. degree — an amount
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. charge — a price
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pass — to spend time

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