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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 116 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: leaves · root · trunk · chip · hand · kid · squash · march

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. root — the cause
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. root — of a plant
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — for betting
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chip — to eat
  13. march — the month
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. squash — to crush
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. march — music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. squash — the vegetable

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