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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 120 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: prune · root · pitch · spell · mine · patient · kid · current

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. root — of a plant
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — letters
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — magic
  12. root — of a word
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. root — the cause
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. current — electric
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — completely

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