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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: root · prune · deal · snap · coach · present · straw · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — there
  5. root — of a plant
  6. game — wild animals
  7. present — the time now
  8. deal — to handle
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — of a word
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. root — the cause
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — a gift
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. game — a kind of play

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