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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: prune · bowl · coach · root · rest · object · pop · degree

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — to protest
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — a thing
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a word
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — temperature
  21. object — an aim
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bowl — to roll

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