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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · march · rush · fall · trunk · hand · calf · mine

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. root — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. march — the month
  16. fall — the season
  17. root — of a word
  18. hand — help
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mine — an explosive

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