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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. wave — with your hand
  2. game — a match
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. root — the cause
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — a permit
  15. root — of a word
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. club — for dancing
  19. track — a song
  20. club — a group
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — a path
  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