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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.

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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: trunk · kick · rule · root · branch · dip · season · wind

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. branch — a division
  7. root — of a word
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. season — of the year
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — in sport
  24. kick — in football

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