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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. branch — a division
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. root — of a word
  11. chip — to eat
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mark — a trace
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. shower — rain
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mark — a grade
  19. root — of a plant
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bound — obliged
  24. root — the cause

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