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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: root · prune · ground · mark · fall · arm · ruler · rest

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — crushed
  7. root — of a word
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — the season
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. root — the cause
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — a break
  16. root — of a plant
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. mark — a grade
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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