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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. root — of a word
  3. club — for dancing
  4. root — of a plant
  5. club — for golf
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. foot — a measure
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spring — of water
  13. club — a group
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pass — a permit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — a match
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spring — a coil
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — the season
  23. foot — the bottom
  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