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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: wind · trunk · firm · land · rest · bay · band · root

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — a country
  4. rest — what's left
  5. root — the cause
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — ground
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. firm — decided
  13. band — a ring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. band — a music group
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — steady
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. root — of a word
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. root — of a plant

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