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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 120 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: track · cell · pop · temple · wax · rest · trunk · root

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — soda
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cell — in biology
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — the cause
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. root — of a word
  24. wax — in the ear

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