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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · spring · prune · file · march · mouse · toast · root

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. toast — bread
  6. march — music
  7. file — a document
  8. spring — of water
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. root — the cause
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. march — the month
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a tool
  24. root — of a word

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