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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: wind · mate · root · cell · wake · bat · trunk · race

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bat — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. race — humankind
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. race — a contest
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mate — to breed

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