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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — to visit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a hat
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — a list
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a word
  23. pop — music
  24. prune — the fruit

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