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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — a line
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. club — for golf
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. root — the cause
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. root — of a word
  20. ground — a position
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. row — to paddle
  23. club — for dancing
  24. root — of a plant

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