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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · pitcher · bear · racket · fan · root · field · bulb

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. root — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a word
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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