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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: pitch · wind · root · stem · ball · prune · wax · deal

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. deal — to handle
  3. root — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. root — of a word
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a great time
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — the cause
  24. wax — for sculpting

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