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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 · squash · firm · season · root · rule · saw · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — in sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. root — of a plant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. firm — a company
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. root — of a word
  10. season — of the year
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rule — government
  21. track — a song
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. track — to keep track

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