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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · plane · shower · pitch · mark · root · ground · prune

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. root — of a word
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — a tool
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mark — a trace
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. capital — a big letter
  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