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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cell — a phone
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. root — of a word
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ball — a great time
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — to rip
  21. root — the cause
  22. fall — the season
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ball — a dance

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