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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. suit — to fit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — of a word
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. shower — rain
  23. suit — in cards
  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