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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · season · root · trunk · tube · rock · ground · cell

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rock — music
  3. swing — music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — of the year
  6. swing — to play on
  7. season — in sport
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. root — of a plant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. root — the cause
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ground — a position
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — a phone

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