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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: saw · pass · row · scale · cue · kick · root · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. scale — in music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. root — the cause
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — size or range
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cue — for pool
  23. row — a line
  24. saw — the tool

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