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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: rock · rest · band · trunk · foot · season · root · scale

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rest — what's left
  3. root — of a plant
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rock — music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a ring
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. season — of the year
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. root — of a word
  21. rock — a stone
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. foot — part of the body

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