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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: club · rule · root · wound · trunk · jam · fall · bulb

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. club — a group
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. club — for golf
  8. root — of a word
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — a law
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rule — government
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — the cause
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bulb — for light
  24. root — of a plant

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