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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 120 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: pitch · tear · bear · pass · root · cabinet · prune · march

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — to trim
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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