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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · object · toast · trunk · net · hand · row · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. toast — bread
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — of a plant
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hand — in cards
  10. object — a thing
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — the cause
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hand — help
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. row — a line
  24. trunk — of a car

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