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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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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: foot · mine · root · leaves · suit · rush · coach · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. suit — in cards
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — of a word
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. suit — to fit
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. root — the cause
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — a trainer

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