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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: prune · racket · plane · root · face · hide · wake · band

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — of a plant
  4. plane — a tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — the cause
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wake — a trail
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a ring
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — of a word
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hide — animal skin

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