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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: trunk · ball · root · content · leaves · straw · stock · pop

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. root — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — happy
  14. root — of a word
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ball — a great time
  24. root — the cause

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