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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: prune · cue · root · rest · bat · track · march · board

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. march — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. track — a song
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — a hint
  22. board — to get on
  23. root — of a plant
  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