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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — in music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — a country
  6. root — the cause
  7. rock — music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bear — the animal
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. root — of a plant
  13. land — ground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — letters
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. spell — magic
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. land — to come down
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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