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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. band — a ring
  3. row — to paddle
  4. root — of a plant
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. root — the cause
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. staff — a stick
  11. root — of a word
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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