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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 120 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: bat · game · rest · lean · root · hand · prune · last

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hand — in cards
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — to go on
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hand — help
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. root — of a word
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lean — to bend
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hand — part of the body

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