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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: ground · racket · spell · mine · trunk · ball · shower · prune

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — to wash
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — the earth

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