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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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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: club · prune · rest · root · court · roll · patient · wound

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. root — the cause
  3. court — of a king
  4. roll — a list
  5. root — of a word
  6. court — of law
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. club — for dancing
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. club — for golf
  21. roll — a cake
  22. prune — to trim
  23. club — a group
  24. patient — a sick person

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