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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: ground · root · season · prune · pitch · key · current · lean

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a word
  7. lean — thin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. current — electric
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. root — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lean — to rest against

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