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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: foot · root · prune · mine · leaves · file · straw · fork

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. file — a tool
  6. root — the cause
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. root — of a word
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fork — in a road
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. file — a document
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. foot — a measure
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. prune — to trim

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