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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. last — final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a hole
  5. last — to go on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. present — there
  9. track — a path
  10. pit — in a race
  11. track — to keep track
  12. present — a gift
  13. root — the cause
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bound — certain
  16. track — a song
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. present — the time now
  20. root — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — finally

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