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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. root — the cause
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pop — music
  7. field — farmland
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — soda
  10. field — for sport
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — the tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. plane — a tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — army training
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. ball — a dance
  24. root — of a word

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