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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: bat · land · shower · trunk · saw · root · bank · stick

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. land — to come down
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. root — the cause
  12. bank — for money
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — ground
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. land — a country
  24. trunk — of a tree

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