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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. object — a thing
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bass — low music
  6. root — of a word
  7. bass — the fish
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — to protest
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. root — the cause
  18. object — an aim

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