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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: bay · roll · kid · prune · fork · rash · season · root

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kid — child
  4. season — in sport
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. roll — a list
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — to tease
  20. root — the cause
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. roll — a cake

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