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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: season · ruler · prune · deal · root · fall · bat · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — to handle
  3. season — in sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — the animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. net — in sport
  24. root — of a word

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