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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. root — the cause
  3. bound — tied together
  4. last — final
  5. bound — obliged
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — to visit
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pop — soda
  14. spell — a short time
  15. roll — a list
  16. bound — certain
  17. mark — a grade
  18. roll — a cake
  19. spell — magic
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. root — of a word
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pop — music

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