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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fine — all right
  6. root — the cause
  7. fine — high quality
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. track — a song
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. root — of a plant
  20. foot — a measure
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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