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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: field · trunk · cue · date · root · saw · spell · ground

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. ground — the earth
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. field — farmland
  10. date — the fruit
  11. ground — a position
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — for pool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. spell — a short time
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. field — a subject

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