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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 116 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 · cell · band · mate · trunk · stand · leaves · rule

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rule — government
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rule — a law
  6. band — a music group
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. root — the cause
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. band — a ring
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — in biology

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