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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: prune · bay · jam · capital · season · rock · root · hide

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. root — of a plant
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rock — a stone
  11. season — in sport
  12. root — of a word
  13. capital — a city
  14. prune — to trim
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — music
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. hide — to keep secret

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