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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.

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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: stem · capital · cue · pound · prune · bulb · fan · root

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — the cause
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. capital — a city
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — money
  14. root — of a word
  15. cue — a signal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cue — a hint

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