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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — help
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stock — shares
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — goods
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hand — in cards
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — the cause
  18. pit — in a race
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pit — a hole

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