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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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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: stick · season · cue · cap · trunk · can · wind · root

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. can — a tin
  6. cue — a hint
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. can — a tin
  13. root — of a plant
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — for pool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. root — of a word
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — of ice
  22. root — the cause
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — to turn a key

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