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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: face · chair · bark · trunk · ground · plane · mate · root

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ground — the earth
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. root — of a word
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chair — a leader
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. ground — a position
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. root — the cause

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