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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: race · prune · vault · root · foot · pit · row · ground

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. race — the arms race
  3. root — the cause
  4. race — humankind
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. row — a line
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ground — a position
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. foot — a measure
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — the earth
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. root — of a word
  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