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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: root · ball · prune · net · fall · content · dip · field

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — to sink
  4. prune — to trim
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fall — the season
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — happy
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. root — the cause
  12. field — a subject
  13. net — for catching
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. prune — to trim
  16. content — the amount
  17. ball — a great time
  18. field — farmland
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a word
  23. ball — a dance
  24. field — for sport

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