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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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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: hand · bound · root · rash · lean · trunk · rock · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. root — the cause
  4. hand — help
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. lean — thin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bound — certain
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rash — a series
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rock — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lean — to bend
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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