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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 120 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: bass · ground · root · band · present · staff · charge · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bass — low music
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. present — a gift
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bass — the fish
  20. charge — electricity
  21. band — a ring
  22. staff — employees
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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