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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: mate · mouse · spell · trunk · row · chair · craft · root

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. craft — boats
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spell — letters
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. craft — a skill

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