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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cue — a signal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cue — a hint
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — to come from
  19. perch — the fish
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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