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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rash — hasty
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bound — certain
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — size or range
  10. club — for dancing
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. scale — in music
  15. march — music
  16. rash — a series
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. club — for golf
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. scale — for weighing

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