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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. last — final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. root — of a plant
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — in sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. root — of a word
  21. prune — to trim
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. leaves — of a tree

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