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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: root · squash · spring · last · prune · march · trunk · mug

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. march — the month
  5. spring — of water
  6. mug — a cup
  7. last — to go on
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. root — of a word
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — to crush
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. last — final
  21. mug — to rob
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — the cause

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