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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — of a word
  5. prune — to trim
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cue — a hint
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. suit — clothes
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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