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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stock — shares
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. current — of water
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — electric
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stock — goods
  22. stem — to come from
  23. court — of law
  24. net — in sport

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