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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. field — a subject
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — farmland
  11. root — the cause
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bore — to drill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. field — for sport
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bore — to tire
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. straw — a straw man

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