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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
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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: land · clip · trunk · squash · temple · deal · spell · root

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. root — the cause
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — ground
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spell — magic
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. clip — a video
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. land — to come down
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. clip — to cut
  19. root — of a plant
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — a short time
  23. root — of a word
  24. temple — a place of worship

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