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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 116 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: club · prune · scale · fall · land · root · safe · ground

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — ground
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — a country
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. root — the cause
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. club — for golf
  16. root — of a word
  17. club — a group
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fall — the season
  22. ground — a position
  23. land — to come down
  24. fall — to drop

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