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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. root — the cause
  8. roll — a list
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. root — of a plant

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