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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · patient · club · prune · root · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — finally
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — final
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — the cause
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — to go on
  11. root — of a word
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. root — of a plant
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim

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