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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: toast · prune · row · root · branch · wave · jam · rock

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rock — a stone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rock — music
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. row — to paddle
  24. toast — bread

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