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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. net — for catching
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. current — happening now
  8. root — of a word
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. root — the cause
  15. cold — an illness
  16. foot — a measure
  17. current — of water
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — electric
  24. stem — a stem cell

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