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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · root · prune · cold · stand · bass · rush · drill

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. root — of a word
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rush — hurry
  5. root — the cause
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — army training
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bass — low music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. root — of a plant

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