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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rock — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. prune — to trim
  10. root — the cause
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — for sport
  14. mark — a trace
  15. root — of a word
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. root — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. club — for golf
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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