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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: band · stem · mug · trunk · file · prune · scale · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — size or range
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. band — a ring
  13. spell — a short time
  14. band — a music group
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spell — letters
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mug — to rob
  19. file — a document
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mug — a face
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stem — a stem cell

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