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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: trunk · sharp · leaves · fall · straw · field · root · band

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — the season
  6. sharp — clever
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — a subject
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. band — a ring
  17. field — farmland
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. root — of a word
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a tree

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