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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 116 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: mine · prune · pop · mate · wound · hide · bowl · root

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pop — soda
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pop — music
  10. root — the cause
  11. pop — to visit
  12. root — of a word
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — an explosive

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