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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: foot · field · mark · row · squash · prune · root · rock

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mark — a trace
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — to paddle
  8. squash — to crush
  9. row — a line
  10. root — the cause
  11. rock — music
  12. root — of a word
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. field — farmland
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mark — a grade
  20. field — for sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — the bottom

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