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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: bowl · leaves · ground · pitch · march · cell · prune · root

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — in biology
  4. root — the cause
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. root — of a word
  7. march — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. march — the month
  15. root — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bowl — to 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