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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. ground — a position
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ground — crushed
  6. firm — decided
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hand — help
  10. race — a contest
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. firm — steady
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. root — of a word
  17. firm — a company
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stock — goods
  21. race — humankind
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stem — to come from
  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