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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: bat · spell · leaves · stem · craft · prune · swing · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. craft — a skill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — letters
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bat — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — in golf
  16. craft — boats
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spell — a short time

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