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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: mate · pitch · bowl · bear · stem · hand · root · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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. pitch — completely
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. root — the cause
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — help
  21. root — of a word
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bear — the animal

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