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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 · march · kick · snap · pitcher · nail · root · trunk

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. root — the cause
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. root — of a word
  5. kick — in football
  6. march — the month
  7. root — of a plant
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. snap — to click
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a car

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