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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 120 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: staff · trunk · lie · wave · arm · stick · root · ground

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ground — the earth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. root — of a word
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. root — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — the cause

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