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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. snap — to click
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stem — to come from
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — the cause
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. root — of a plant
  20. craft — a skill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. craft — boats
  24. racket — a loud noise

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