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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 116 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: swing · cold · plane · stem · rule · root · prune · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. swing — music
  4. rule — government
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stem — to come from
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cold — an illness
  21. root — of a word
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. cold — not warm

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