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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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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: shower · prune · pit · chair · nail · dip · root · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. deal — to handle
  11. dip — to sink
  12. root — the cause
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — a leader
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — in a race
  24. prune — the fruit

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