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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. root — of a word
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. root — the cause
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. row — to paddle
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. row — a line
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — a hole
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — to come from
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. current — happening now
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. trunk — of a car
  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