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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — a trace
  5. object — an aim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. object — a thing
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. root — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. root — of a word
  16. object — to protest
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — the cause
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — all right
  24. mark — a grade

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