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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. root — the cause
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — of the year
  12. root — of a word
  13. row — a line
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. prune — to trim
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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