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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mug — a face
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. root — the cause
  9. season — in sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mug — a cup
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stock — goods
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. root — of a word
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — of the year
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wake — a trail

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