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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.

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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: bass · tear · root · hand · cabinet · wound · prune · patient

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — in cards
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. root — of a word
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hand — help
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bass — the fish

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