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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ground — a position
  5. pop — music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — to visit
  13. root — of a word
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pop — soda
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. root — of a plant
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. root — the cause
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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