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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: racket · root · prune · saw · squash · rest · wound · row

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rest — a break
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — the cause
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — to crush
  15. root — of a word
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. saw — the tool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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