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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: spell · mark · trunk · patient · band · root · rush · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. root — of a word
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mark — a grade
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a music group
  12. foot — a measure
  13. spell — letters
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a ring
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — the cause
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rush — to hurry

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