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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: wound · racket · present · tube · trunk · court · content · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. content — happy
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. court — of law
  9. present — the time now
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — the amount
  12. root — the cause
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. root — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. present — there
  17. court — for sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — the underground
  22. present — a gift
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wound — an injury

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