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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: ball · staff · clip · firm · ground · root · fan · trunk

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. root — the cause
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ball — a great time
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. root — of a word
  9. ground — the earth
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ground — a position
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — decided
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a dance

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