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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 116 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: spring · stock · snap · spell · stick · bound · trunk · root

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spring — the season
  3. stock — shares
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — certain
  10. spell — letters
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spring — a coil
  14. root — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. snap — to click
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stock — a soup base

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