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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · cabinet · mug · sharp · trunk · bass · game · spell

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spell — letters
  4. root — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spell — magic
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — of a word
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. root — the cause
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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