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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: trunk · root · row · stick · rest · squash · track · temple

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. root — of a plant
  5. row — a line
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — to keep track
  16. root — of a word
  17. track — a song
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rest — a break
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — to paddle

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