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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — the cause
  7. cap — a hat
  8. root — of a word
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rash — hasty
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cap — a lid
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. sharp — exactly

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