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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: hide · wake · can · root · ground · jam · prune · tear

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — a position
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — a trail
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — to be able to
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — the earth
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. root — of a plant
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — crushed
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — before a funeral

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