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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chip — for betting

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