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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.

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: trunk · saw · spring · stick · ball · suit · chip · root

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. suit — in cards
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chip — to eat
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spring — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. suit — to fit
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. root — the cause
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. root — of a plant

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