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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 116 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: board · root · ground · stem · straw · trunk · rest · clip

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rest — what's left
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rest — a break
  6. ground — crushed
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. clip — to cut
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — to come from
  15. board — a committee
  16. clip — for paper
  17. root — of a word
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. clip — a video
  20. ground — a position
  21. board — to get on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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