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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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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: root · prune · mate · shower · field · firm · rock · net

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. root — of a plant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — for sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. shower — rain
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a friend
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. firm — a company
  22. net — for catching
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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