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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: cap · file · prune · pop · band · rest · rock · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a ring
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rest — a break
  12. file — a tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — music
  15. pop — music
  16. cap — of ice
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rock — a stone
  19. band — a music group
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — soda
  22. file — a document
  23. root — of a word
  24. prune — the fruit

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