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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — low music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — all right
  5. root — of a word
  6. cap — a hat
  7. root — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. root — the cause
  17. object — a thing
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — in a tire

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