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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: prune · cell · root · racket · mark · bark · stand · firm

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. root — of a plant
  3. firm — a company
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cell — a phone
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — the cause
  12. mark — a grade
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. firm — decided
  20. mark — a trace
  21. firm — steady
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bark — to shout

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