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

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. march — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — in music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. capital — a city
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — the month
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. root — of a plant
  24. march — the month

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