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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. root — the cause
  3. spring — the season
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spring — of water
  8. file — a document
  9. ground — a position
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ground — crushed
  14. root — of a word
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. file — a tool

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