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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: cue · root · ball · bowl · stick · kid · branch · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kid — to tease
  10. root — the cause
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ball — a great time
  21. branch — a division
  22. kid — child
  23. root — of a word
  24. branch — of a bank

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