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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · pitcher · lie · racket · board · season · chest · trunk

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — to get on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — the cause
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — of a word
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. season — of the year
  24. lie — to recline

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