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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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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: deal · wind · staff · roll · mate · root · prune · content

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — to handle
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — a list
  16. content — the amount
  17. mate — a partner
  18. content — happy
  19. root — of a word
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. staff — employees
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mate — a friend

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