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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: march · root · cell · pit · prune · stand · date · wave

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. march — the month
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pit — a hole
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. root — of a word
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — the cause
  22. stand — to bear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wave — with your hand

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