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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: cabinet · band · spring · wake · board · fine · prune · root

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. root — of a word
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fine — high quality
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spring — the season
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — a coil
  18. board — a committee
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — to get on
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cabinet — ministers

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