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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: leaves · bass · root · bank · prune · pound · cold · racket

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bank — for money
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bank — for money
  6. root — the cause
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — low music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. root — of a word
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bass — the fish
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — for tennis

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