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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: fall · trunk · club · march · root · game · rock · mouse

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. root — the cause
  7. rock — music
  8. club — a group
  9. fall — the season
  10. club — for dancing
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — the month
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rock — a stone

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