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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: lie · bat · root · ground · spell · trunk · rash · prune

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. root — of a word
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — a short time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — of a car
  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