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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: toast · root · date · court · mate · prune · wake · band

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. root — the cause
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a ring
  8. root — of a word
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. band — a music group
  15. date — the fruit
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wake — a trail
  18. court — of law
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. court — of a king
  24. prune — the fruit

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