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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: prune · deal · trunk · nail · perch · row · mouse · root

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. root — of a word
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — to handle
  12. root — the cause
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — of a plant
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. row — a line
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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