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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — of a word
  3. net — after costs
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — electric
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — the cause
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — magic
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spell — letters
  24. stem — a stem cell

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