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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: row · arm · trunk · root · bass · wake · land · bound

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — certain
  6. row — to paddle
  7. root — the cause
  8. land — a country
  9. root — of a plant
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — obliged
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — low music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wake — a trail
  23. root — of a word
  24. land — ground

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