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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. present — the time now
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — a song
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cue — for pool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. root — of a word
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a path
  16. lean — thin
  17. cue — a hint
  18. present — a gift
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — there
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — the cause

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