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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. root — of a word
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. spring — the season
  11. root — the cause
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spring — a coil
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. root — of a plant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. prune — to trim

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