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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. net — for catching
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — after costs
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. land — to come down
  11. rock — music
  12. root — of a word
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — a stone
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — ground
  19. net — in sport
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — to trim

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