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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — magic
  5. cue — a hint
  6. spell — letters
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — of a word
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. field — farmland
  13. pound — a weight
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cue — a signal

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