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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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Word bank
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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. root — the cause
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stem — to come from
  10. root — of a word
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. row — a line
  24. chest — of your body

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