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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. field — a subject
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a word
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. field — for sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. bass — low music
  13. root — the cause
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — farmland
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. board — to get on
  22. kick — in football
  23. board — a flat piece
  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