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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: pit · chest · wind · trunk · root · game · key · stem

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pit — in a race
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. key — in music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. chest — a box
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. game — a match
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — moving air
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pit — a hole
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chest — of your 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