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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: fork · pop · roll · root · trunk · bat · wake · spell

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. spell — a short time
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. fork — in a road

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