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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — rain
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. roll — a cake
  6. root — the cause
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. roll — a list
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — employees

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