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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: band · pop · root · march · prune · mug · pit · chest

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. band — a music group
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. root — of a word
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pit — a hole
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — soda
  20. band — a ring
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. mug — to rob
  24. march — music

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