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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.

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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: root · prune · hand · calf · bat · safe · court · pop

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. root — the cause
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. root — of a word
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — of law
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bat — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pop — music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — for baseball

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