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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 120 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: safe · key · trunk · bark · root · spell · capital · pound

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. spell — magic
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a word
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — in music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — letters
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. root — the cause
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. key — for a lock
  20. capital — a city
  21. key — the most important part
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — a short time
  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