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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: clip · vault · patient · root · prune · bass · rest · foot

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. foot — a measure
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. root — of a word
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. clip — for paper
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rest — a break
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — to cut
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — a video
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  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