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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 116 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. kid — child
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — of a word
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pop — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pop — to visit

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