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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. root — the cause
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stand — to bear
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stand — on your feet

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