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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: ground · tube · root · leaves · game · trunk · nail · prune

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — the underground
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — a container

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