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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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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: ruler · wind · present · root · club · cell · fan · prune

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. root — of a word
  9. present — the time now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. root — the cause
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — for golf
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. root — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. present — a gift
  20. cell — in biology
  21. club — a group
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — there

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