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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spring — a coil
  3. foot — a measure
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. root — the cause
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spring — of water
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. leaves — to go away

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