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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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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 · snap · fork · leaves · degree · prune · root · safe

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. root — of a word
  3. snap — to click
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fork — in a road
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. prune — to trim
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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