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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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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 · trunk · ground · lash · rash · cell · straw · root

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — in biology
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. root — the cause
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. board — to get on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ground — a position
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. board — a committee
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ground — the earth

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