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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bank — for money
  4. charge — electricity
  5. file — a tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — a position
  12. file — a document
  13. root — the cause
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — for money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a word
  19. charge — in control
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — the earth
  22. date — the fruit
  23. root — of a plant
  24. charge — a price

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