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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — a division
  15. stem — to come from
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cue — a hint
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ground — the earth
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rash — hasty

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