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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — all right
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fine — high quality
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — in control
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. charge — a price
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stem — of a plant

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