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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. root — of a plant
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. present — there
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — to grow
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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