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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: root · racket · trunk · rest · lash · wind · current · hand

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. root — of a plant
  8. current — happening now
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. root — the cause
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — a break
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. root — of a word
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rest — what's left
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — moving air
  23. current — of water
  24. racket — for tennis

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