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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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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: prune · band · root · ruler · file · mate · content · safe

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. content — the amount
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mate — to breed
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a music group
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a ring
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. file — a tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. content — happy

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