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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cue — a signal
  3. swing — music
  4. current — electric
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cell — in biology
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cell — a phone
  10. current — happening now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cue — a hint
  13. root — the cause
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pass — a permit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bat — the animal
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — of water
  24. pass — to spend time

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