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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: root · bore · current · field · prune · fall · clip · nail

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. root — of a plant
  3. field — farmland
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — the cause
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. clip — a video
  13. fall — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — of a word
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — electric
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — for paper
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — to drill

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