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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 120 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: bear · dip · root · row · pit · prune · temple · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — of a word
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — to paddle
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bear — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. dip — to sink
  24. prune — to trim

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