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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — size or range
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — a committee
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stem — to come from
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. root — the cause
  20. deal — to handle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. board — to get on

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