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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: rock · land · march · prune · root · pop · hide · leaves

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — to visit
  5. land — to come down
  6. march — music
  7. land — a country
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pop — music
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rock — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — the month
  17. root — of a plant
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pop — soda
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rock — a stone

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