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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · root · game · nail · spell · stem · temple · row

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stem — to come from
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. row — a line
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spell — a short time
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. root — of a word
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spell — magic
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. nail — for a hammer

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