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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: root · foot · file · court · bore · prune · roll · current

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. root — the cause
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. bore — to drill
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. root — of a plant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — electric
  12. file — a document
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. court — of a king
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. current — of water
  18. root — of a word
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. roll — a list
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — happening now
  23. bore — to tire
  24. roll — on a roll

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