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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: rest · wake · saw · fan · bound · bass · root · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — a break
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. root — of a plant

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